Which Script Layout Should I Use?

Q. I'm writing a trial episode of XYZ/movie/tv pilot and I'm stuck – I don't know which script format I should use. I hear that you have to be very careful when you lay out your script as there are loads of subtle errors you can make that mark you out as an amateur.

A. I've got slightly unconventional views on this. The short answer is I don't think it matters nearly so much as people say it does.

It drives me crazy to see all the people out there insisting you have to format your screenplay in such and such a way, on so an so paper, punched here and there, margins specified down to the last nth of a millimetre in all directions.

Look, it really, really isn’t that big a deal. Obviously you want your thing to more or less look like a pro script, but when they are writing a spec script most pros I know would use the basic template layout in either Final Draft or Movie Magic Screenwriter, which does it all for you.

If you can’t afford either of those, then here’s a page that tells you everything you need to know till you get a gig, in which case the production company will give you their inhouse format http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scriptsmart/screenplay.pdf

Please, please believe me. No-one is ever going to see you are half an inch off on your margins and despise you forever, or think, hmm, they’ve used one hole binding and therefore this script is clearly rubbish. Seriously. It just doesn’t work like that.

Save your time, effort and pain, and direct it towards your writing. That’s where it counts.

It's the story, not the surface texture of the story, that REALLY counts. Unfortunately, the problem is you will come across a lot of people on the fringes of the industry who aren't that high up or experienced who don't know that, and they are the ones who will be reading your script initially, so it's always worth making sure the script is as polished and error free as you can.

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Fiona Johnston  - Software     |2009-04-09 22:29:35 I use CELTX or Write Ambition. I have been trying to find out if anyone is prepared to sell me Final Draft or Movie Magic Screenwriter second hand,especially if the person lives in this country. Must fly now as I have a cat crisis. Reply | Quote 0   1

Mark  - The Right Tools...   |2009-05-26 18:09:17 I agree with Phil - it is the story which will come over, irrespective of the formatting madness which so often bogs people down. I write it, go hell for leather and get it down on the page and then go back and smarten it up later. The last thing i want is for stress and worry about stuff that can be dealt with later. Reply | Quote 0   0

Bare   |2009-07-02 14:39:19 I wouldn't recommend in downloading a pirated copy. IN fact I go against it. For starters that pirated copies can be laced with backdoor Trojans and malwares. I emailed one seasoned screenwriter, he suggested that I use Movie Magic Screenwriter, I find that its expensive, even for me. He also told me to develop a thick skin. I use word, which is generic. It aint easy formatting the screenplay manually. But I enjoy doing things at my own accord. Take it from me several stories I have written were plagiarized. It came about when a homosexual woman and a goth stole them from me and passed it as their own. I was pissed as hell that it was condoned by the moderator. And I'm betting the entire members of the writing group is doing the same thing. Judging from my personal experience, I never going to join online clubs again, whether it be screenwriting or fiction writing. But that's writing a book. ... Reply | Quote 0   0

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